Lebanese PM says only way out of crisis is holding early elections - statement

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab, wearing a mask, arrives to attend a meeting with Lebanese political leaders to present the plan aimed at steering the country out of a financial crisis, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon May 6, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Saturday he would request early parliamentary elections to defuse an escalating political crisis following the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut.

"We cannot get out of this crisis without early parliamentary elections," he said, reading a statement. He added he was not to blame for the country's deep economic and political woes.